The FCTA has since disowned the civil servants who have absconded from their duty posts, declaring such persons removed from its staff records. The administration also restated its position on CBT as the standard method for promoting staff in its employ.
It was announced on Tuesday during a new round of CBT promotion examinations involving over 8,000 workers across various cadres, the chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Engr. Emeka Eze, said there is a difference between “ghost workers” and employees who have chosen to desert their posts.
“Some people are not really ghosts, but they have absconded from duty. If you abscond from duty, that means you are no longer working,” Eze said.
The Minister stressed that the ongoing five-day CBT exercise, conducted in batches, is required to create a modern, effective and performance-minded workforce, adding that the administration has invested heavily in ICT training and hence expects the staff to match this effort with improved productivity.
Eze acknowledged the technical hitches experienced in the process and asked the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to create a CBT centre for smoother future examinations. He assured that efforts were on to address existing challenges.
The Acting Head of Service, Dr. Nancy Sabanti-Nathan, reiterated that the CBT system has become a permanent feature of the FCTA’s promotion structure. She said despite the difficulties experienced by some candidates, the new system offers opportunities to refine processes and enhance efficiency.
“Challenges are always there, but we always find a way around them. The beauty of this system is that it allows you to reopen your computer and finish. The system itself will tell you when time is up,” she said. “There is no going back to the old regime,” Sabanti-Nathan said firmly.
